Continuous-trip gravity train.



J. C. TURNER.

CONTINUOUS TRIP GRAVITY TRAIN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-29. 191.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATlllFlT OFFIOE.

JOHN C. TURNER, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHN C. TURNER NOVELTY('10., 0F DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CONTINUOUS-TRIP GRAVITY TRAIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1919.

Application filed March 29, 1917. Serial No. 158,182.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, andresiding at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and Improved Continuous-Trip Gravity Train, of which thefollowing specification is a full disclosure.

This invention relates to automatic toys and it proposes a mechanism forcausing the toy to successively perform a predetermined operationWithout further attention after being suitably loaded.

A primary object of this invention is simulating the station track andtram car and embodying mechanism whereby said car will repeatedly travelaround the track and stop momentarily in the station house all in anentirely automatic manner and without any attention other than involvedin an initial loading.

Another object is to devise an automatic toy mechanism of the foregoingnature which will be simple and which will oper ate through a pluralityof appropriate weights to cause the apparatus to function in repeatedcycles. I

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and inpart indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of thisinvention.

,This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of parts and in the unique relations of the me bers and inthe relati e proportioning and disposition thereof, all as morecompletely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend theunderlying features thereof that they may embody the same by thenumerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by thisinvention, drawings de icting a preferred form have been annexed as apart of this disclosure, and in such drawings, like characters ofreference denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, of whichFigure 1, is a side elevation in section of the operating mechanism ofthis toy. Fig. 2, is a similar vertical section showing the car elevatoruplifted for discharging purposes. Fig. 3 is a transverse section online 10-10 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a transverse section on line 1111 ofFig. 2.

Continuing by way of more detailed explanation, it may be stated thatthe draw ings exemplify an invention in the guise of a railway having astation house and a car adapted to enter and leave said station house.The drawings illustrate so much of this system as is required for thepurposes of explaining the mechanism more particularly involved herein,to Wit, the automatic toy elevating mechanism. In these drawlngs, Adenotes a station house from one end of which starts the inclinedrailway comprising rails 12 and 13; said track following the form of aninclined loop and terminating at its lowest end to deliver a gravity carG into the station house. This is in accordance with the generalarrangement of my copending application executed and filed of even dateherewith, Serial No. 158.180.

This station house consis s of a base 17 from which uprise side walls 20and 21 and end walls 18 and 19; the side walls being connected at theirupper ends by means of bridge-pieces 25, 24- and 60. The bridgepieces 25serve to position guide rods 35 for a car elevator constructed asexplained in said copendirg case. This elevator I) consists of astirrup32 having upper and lower cross pieces perforated (the upper perforationbeing elongated) so that it may slide readily up and down on the rods 35and as sume a til ing or car-discharging position thereon. This elevatoris raised and lowered by means of a cord 63 hat runs through aperforation in the bridge-piece 25 and is carried by the pulleys 62'and61 and finally passes through a perforation in the bridgepiece so as tosuspend the cradle66 by means of the cords 6 41.

This cradle 66 is norma ly held in its upraised positi n b means of a lch 46 forming a part of the lever 45 which is secured to a rock shaft 44which carries a trip lever 43. A spring 47 presses against the triplever 43 and serves normally to hold the latch 46 u d r the cradle 66.This cradle is kept supplied with a weight when it is in its upliftedposition and this weight serves to uplift the elevator and is thenantomatically dischargedafter the ear has left the elevator. as ill beexplained.

A gravity car C enters under its own inertia from the lower end of thetrack and it rolls pon the ra ls 30 and 31 of the levator until itimpacts the trip lever 43 at the point 42. This releases the catch 46and the cradle is now free to desc nd under the influence of the weight70. This has the effect of uplifting the elevator. It is to be observedthat the weight 70 must not be permitted to roll off of its chute 70when the cradle 66 is displaced, nor should the Weight 70 leave thecradle 66 and permit the elevator to drop before the gravity car C hascleared the'elevator. These functions are achieved as follows: i

The weight 70 is kept in the cradle 66 during its'descent by reason ofthe factth'at the cradle is normally tilted up slightly as will beperceived by Fig. 1, but when the cradle reaches its lowermost positionit comes to rest upon an oppositely inclined support or platform 76which has the efl'e;t 0f tilting the cradle until its lip 68 rests uponthe stop 77. Thistilts the cradle and the spherical weight 70 wouldimmediately leave the cradle and permit the elevator to drop were it notfor the fact that the trigger 78 has in the mean time been swung intoposition to arrest the departure of the weight 70. This trigger ispivoted at 81 and it hasa short armq82 provided with a roller ,83 thathits against the roof of the car just before the cradle hits theplatform 7 6. This swings the trigger 7 8, from the position shown inFig. 3 onto the position shown in Fig. 4: thereby positioning the end 79in the path of the sphericalweight 70 and holding it from leavingthe-cradle. Now, as soon as the car leaves the elevator, theroller 83will be permitted to drop back into its normal position under the actionof the spring 84 with the effect that the trigger will be Withdrawn tothe position shown by Fig. 3, and the weight 70 will roll out'of thecradle to one side of the elevator D andthe elevator will now descend ofits own weight (being heavier than the cradle) and this will uplift thecradle into its upper position where it is toreceive another weight.When the elevator started to descend, it withdrew the lip 68 frompressure agains the short arm 73 of the trigger 72 pivoted at 74, thisenabled the spring 75 to swing this trigger into the position shown byFig. 2 thereby bringing the part 72 into the path. of the next weight 70 and thus preventing the travel of said weight. When the cradle rises,however, its lip 68 again releases the trigger 72 with the consequencethat the weight 70 is now enabled to roll onto the cradle which,however, is now locked against descent by the latch 46. As soon as thecar completes its voyage, it will again operate the latch 46, and thecycle will be repeated. This apparatuswill thus be seen to be fullyautomatic inasmuch as any desired number of weights 70, 70 and 70, etc.,can be placed in the chute 71 and the apparatus will perform in repeatedcycles until these claim as new and desire to secure several weightshave all been used up. The child can furthermore add weights to thechute as often as they are disharged by the cradle and thus keep theapparatus continuously in operation as long as desired, therebyobtaining a very pleasing and entertaining effect.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gistof this invention that others can by applying-current knowledge readilyadapt it for various applications without omitting certain featuresthat, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention,and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of thefollowing claims.

Having thus revealed my invention, I by Letter Patent of the UnitedStates v 1. An automatic toy combining an elevator; a cradle connectedtherewith; a magazine; latch mechanism for normallyxholding the cradleuplifted; trip mechanism for supplying the cradle when uplifted with aweight from the magazine; and a looped gravity trackway adapted todischarge a car under said elevator whereby said car may actuate saidlatch to enable the cradle to automatically uplift said elevator.

2. An automatic toy combining a looped inclined track; an elevatorconnecting its ends; acradle for operating said elevator through aweight obtained from said magazine; a latch normally restraining the tiescent of said elevator and adapted to be released by abutment with thegravity car on said elevator to permit the uplift of said elevator; andmeans operated by said car for preventing the discharge of the weightfrom said cradle until-the car has left said elevator. I An; automatictoy combining a magazine containing a plurality of Weights: a triggernormally restraining the disiharge of said weights; a cradle adapted,when uplifted to release said trigger when in position to receive aweight from said magazine; a lat h normally blocking the descent of saidweighted cradle; an elevator operated by said cradle; and a car adaptedwhen received by said elevator to release said latch. In witnesswhereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, as attested by the twosubscribing witnesses. 4

Witnesses B. CooKE, N. SCHWARTZ.

.99. 5. h fi-p ts t may be obtained for fivecents each, byadttressingthe Commissioner of laten'ts, Washin n 12-. Q

